A recent governmental decree banning the distribution of “fake news” has left local media associations and a legal watchdog concerned that the effort will limit public internet access.

6 leading Thai professional media associations issued a statement condemning what they consider an official assault on the Thai public’s right to good information as well as freedom of expression in general.

The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) ordered the MVTV company to pay a fine of 50,000 baht for airing Voice TV’s “Voice Go” programme, claiming that the content of the programme affects national security.  

A police officer allegedly involved in the arrest of Prachatai reporter Kitti Pantapak during the crackdown on the 16 October 2020 Pathumwan intersection protest has claimed that he arrested Kitti because Kitti violated police orders by coming close to police lines, and that he was not able to distinguish Kitti from the protesters.

Journalists and media workers face an increasingly repressive legal landscape amidst the Covid-19 pandemic in Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam, as outlined by the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) in a submission to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).